Berri Postpones Legislative Session

Local Editor

Lebanese House Speaker Nabih Berri postponed Monday a divisive session of Parliament until mid-July.

The decision to postpone the legislative session, which had been due to discuss some 45 draft laws, came after March 14 group boycotted the session.

Berri had called for three consecutive legislative sessions for this week - from Monday to Wednesday - to study and approve some 45 draft laws listed on Parliament's agenda. Among these was a proposal to extend the term of Army commander Gen. Jean Qahwagi by raising the retirement age of top military and security officials.

Caretaker Health Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, a political aide to Berri, slammed MPs who had boycotted the session and tried to undermine the House Speaker's powers.
"No one has an interest in torpedoing the parliamentary cycle and imposing his terms, contrary to the constitutional rules that give it the right to work law," Khalil said.

The new dates for the legislative sessions are July 16 to July 18.
"Berri has always been keen on the political and security stability and has always been in contact with all the parties," he said, and pointed out that "we can't change the division of power guaranteed by the Constitution."
His short press conference in the parliament came after Caretaker PM Najib Mikati claimed that the session was unconstitutional.

Mikati, speaking in Parliament following talks with Berri, said he would hold on to his position, based on legal consultations, regarding the legislative session.
Mikati Friday said he would boycott Monday's planned meeting of Parliament.
For his part, MP Ghazi Zoaiter from the Development and Liberation bloc accused the MPs who boycotted the session of seeking to "destroy the country over sectarian interests."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team